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George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV (George Augustus Frederick) (12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death. He had earlier served as Prince Regent when his father, George III, suffered from a relapse into insanity from an illness that is now suspected to have been porphyria. The Regency, George's nine-year tenure as Prince Regent, which commenced in 1811 and ended with George III's death in 1820, was marked by victory in the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. George was a stubborn monarch, often interfering in politics, especially in the matter of Catholic Emancipation, though not as much as his father. For most of George's regency and reign, Lord Liverpool controlled the government as Prime Minister. George is remembered largely for the extravagant lifestyle that he maintained as prince and monarch. By 1797 his weight had reached 17 and a half stone,De-la-Noy, p.43 and by 1824 his corset was made for a waist of 50 inches.Parissien, p.171 He had a poor relationship with both his father and his wife, Caroline of Brunswick, whom he even forbade to attend his coronation. He was a patron of new forms of leisured style and taste, was responsible for the building of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, and was largely instrumental in the foundation of the National Gallery, London and King's College London. Early life Upon his birth at St James's Palace, London on August 12, 1762, he automatically became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay; he was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester a few days afterwards.Smith, E. A., p.1 On September 18 of the same year, he was baptised by Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury.Smith, E. A., p.2 His godparents were the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (his uncle), the Duke of Cumberland (his great-uncle) and the Dowager Princess of Wales (his grandmother). George was a talented student, quickly learning to speak French, German and Italian in addition to his native English. Hibbert, Christopher, George IV (1762–1830) In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, (Oxford University Press, 2004) The Prince of Wales turned 21 in 1783, and obtained a grant of £60,000 from Parliament and an annual income of £50,000 from his father. He then established his residence in Carlton House, where he lived a profligate life.Smith, E. A., pp.25-28 Animosity developed between the prince and his father, a monarch who desired more frugal behaviour on the part of the heir-apparent. The King, a political conservative, was also alienated by the Prince of Wales's adherence to Charles James Fox and other radically-inclined politicians.Smith, E. A., p.48 Soon after he reached the age of 21, the Prince of Wales fell in love with a Roman Catholic, Maria Anne Fitzherbert, who was a widow twice over; her first husband, Edward Weld, died in 1775, and her second husband, Thomas Fitzherbert, in 1781.Smith, E. A., p.33 A marriage between the two was prohibited by the Act of Settlement 1701, which declared those who married Roman Catholics ineligible to succeed to the Throne. In addition, under the Royal Marriages Act 1772 the Prince of Wales could not marry without the consent of the King, which would have never been granted. Nevertheless, the couple contracted a marriage on 15 December 1785 at her house in Park Lane, Mayfair, although legally the union was void as the King's assent was never requested.Smith, E. A., pp.36-38 However, Mrs Fitzherbert believed that she was the Prince of Wales's canonical and true wife, holding the law of the Church to be superior to the law of the State. For political reasons, the union remained secret and Mrs Fitzherbert promised not to publish any evidence relating to it.David, pp. 57-91 The Prince of Wales was plunged into debt by his exorbitant lifestyle. His father refused to assist him, forcing him to quit Carlton House and live in Mrs Fitzherbert's residence. In 1787, the Prince of Wales's allies in the House of Commons introduced a proposal to relieve his debts with a parliamentary grant. The prince's personal relationship with Mrs Fitzherbert was suspected, but revelation of the illegal marriage would have scandalized the nation and doomed any parliamentary proposal to aid him. Acting on the prince's authority, the Whig leader Charles James Fox declared that the story was a calumny. Mrs Fitzherbert was not pleased with the public denial of the marriage in such vehement terms and contemplated severing her ties to the prince. He appeased her by asking another Whig, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, to restate Fox's forceful declaration in more careful words. Parliament, meanwhile, was sufficiently pleased to grant the Prince of Wales £161,000 for the payment of his debts, in addition to £60,000 for improvements to Carlton House.De-la-Noy, p.31 Regency crisis of 1788 It is hypothesized George III suffered the hereditary disease porphyria. In the summer of 1788, the King's mental health deteriorated, but he was nonetheless able to discharge some of his duties. Thus, he was able to declare Parliament prorogued from 25 September to 20 November. During the prorogation, however, George III became deranged, posing a threat to his own life, and when Parliament reconvened in November the King could not deliver the customary Speech from the Throne during the State Opening of Parliament. Parliament found itself in an untenable position; according to long-established law, it could not proceed to any business until the delivery of the King's Speech at a State Opening.David, pp.92-119 Although theoretically barred from doing so, Parliament began debating a Regency. In the House of Commons, Charles James Fox declared his opinion that the Prince of Wales was automatically entitled to exercise sovereignty during the King's incapacity. A contrasting opinion was held by the Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger, who argued that, in the absence of a statute to the contrary, the right to choose a Regent belonged to Parliament alone. He even stated that, without parliamentary authority "the Prince of Wales had no more right … to assume the government, than any other individual subject of the country." Though disagreeing on the principle underlying a Regency, Pitt agreed with Fox that the Prince of Wales would be the most convenient choice for a Regent. The Prince of Wales — though offended by Pitt's boldness — did not lend his full support to Fox's philosophy. The prince's brother, Prince Frederick, Duke of York, declared that the prince would not attempt to exercise any power without previously obtaining the consent of Parliament. Following the passage of a number of preliminary resolutions, Pitt outlined a formal plan for the Regency, suggesting that the powers of the Prince of Wales be greatly limited. (Among other things, the Prince of Wales could neither sell the King's property nor grant a peerage to anyone other than a child of the King). The Prince of Wales denounced Pitt's scheme, declaring it a "project for producing weakness, disorder, and insecurity in every branch of the administration of affairs." In the interests of the nation, both factions agreed to compromise. A significant technical impediment to any Regency Bill involved the lack of a Speech from the Throne, which was necessary before Parliament could proceed to any debates or votes. The Speech was normally delivered by the King, but could also be delivered by royal representatives known as Lords Commissioners, but no document could empower the Lords Commissioners to act unless the Great Seal of the Realm was affixed to it. The Seal could not be legally affixed without the prior authorisation of the Sovereign. Pitt and his fellow ministers ignored the last requirement and instructed the Lord Chancellor to affix the Great Seal without the King's consent. This course of action was denounced as a "phantom," as a "fiction," and even as a "forgery." The Prince of Wales's brother, the Duke of York, described the plan as "unconstitutional and illegal." Nevertheless, others in Parliament felt that such a scheme was necessary to preserve an effective government. Consequently, on 3 February 1789, more than two months after it had convened, Parliament was formally opened by an "illegal" group of Lords Commissioners. The Regency Bill was introduced, but, before it could be passed, the King recovered. Retroactively, the King declared that the instrument authorising the Lords Commissioners to act was valid. Marriage The Prince of Wales's debts continued to climb; his father refused to aid him unless he married his cousin, Caroline of Brunswick.Smith, E. A., p.70 In 1795, the Prince of Wales acquiesced, and they were married on April 8, 1795 at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace. The marriage, however, was disastrous; each party was unsuited to the other. The two were formally separated after the birth of their only child, Princess Charlotte, in 1796, and remained separated for the rest of their lives. The Prince of Wales remained attached to Mrs Fitzherbert for the remainder of his life, despite several periods of estrangement.David, pp.150-205 Even before meeting Mrs Fitzherbert, the Prince of Wales may have fathered several illegitimate children. His mistresses included Mary Robinson, an actress who was bought off with a generous pension when she threatened to sell his letters to the newspapers;Parissien, p.60 Grace Elliott, the Scottish wife of a sought-after London physician; Olga Zherebtsova, a Russian noble lady who claimed to have had a child by him; and Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey, who dominated his life for some years. Meanwhile, the problem of the Prince of Wales's debts, which amounted to the extraordinary sum of £630,000 in 1795,De-la-Noy, p.55 was solved (at least temporarily) by Parliament. Being unwilling to make an outright grant to relieve these debts, it provided him an additional sum of £65,000 per annum. In 1803, a further £60,000 was added, and the Prince of Wales's debts were finally paid. In 1804 a dispute arose over the custody of Princess Charlotte, which led to her being placed in the care of the King, George III. It also led to a Parliamentary Commission of Enquiry into Princess Caroline's conduct after the Prince of Wales accused her having an illegitimate son. The investigation cleared Caroline of the charge but still revealed her behavior to be extraordinarily indiscreet. Regency In late 1810, George III was once again overcome by his malady following the death of his youngest daughter, Princess Amelia. Parliament agreed to follow the precedent of 1788; without the King's consent, the Lord Chancellor affixed the Great Seal of the Realm to letters patent naming Lords Commissioners. The Lords Commissioners, in the name of the King, signified the granting of the Royal Assent to a bill that became the Regency Act 1811. Parliament restricted some of the powers of the Prince Regent (as the Prince of Wales became known). The constraints expired one year after the passage of the Act. As the Prince of Wales became Prince Regent, one of the most important political conflicts facing the country concerned Catholic Emancipation, the project to relieve Roman Catholics of various political disabilities. The Tories, led by the Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval, were opposed to Catholic Emancipation, while the Whigs supported it. At the beginning of the Regency, the Prince of Wales was expected to support the Whig leader, William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville. He did not, however, immediately put Lord Grenville and the Whigs in office. Influenced by his mother, he claimed that a sudden dismissal of the Tory government would exact too great a toll on the health of the King (a steadfast supporter of the Tories), thereby eliminating any chance of a recovery.Parissien, p.185 In 1812, when it appeared highly unlikely that the King would recover, the Prince of Wales failed to appoint a new Whig administration. Instead, he asked the Whigs to join the existing ministry under Spencer Perceval. The Whigs, however, refused to co-operate because of disagreements over Catholic Emancipation. Angrily, the Prince of Wales allowed Perceval to continue as Prime Minister. When, on May 10 1812, John Bellingham assassinated Spencer Perceval, the Prince of Wales was prepared to reappoint all the members of the Perceval ministry under a new leader, except that the House of Commons formally declared its desire for a more "strong and efficient administration." The Prince of Wales then offered leadership of the government to Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, and afterwards to Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Earl of Moira. He doomed the attempts of both to failure, however, by forcing each to construct a bipartisan ministry at a time when neither party wished to share power with the other. Using the failure of the two peers as a pretext, the Prince Regent immediately reappointed the Perceval administration, with Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, as Prime Minister. The Tories, unlike Whigs such as Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, sought to continue the vigorous prosecution of the war against the powerful and aggressive Emperor of the French, Napoleon I. Russia, Prussia, Sweden, Austria, the United Kingdom and several smaller countries defeated Napoleon in 1814. In the subsequent Congress of Vienna, it was decided that the Electorate of Hanover, a state that had shared a monarch with Britain since 1714, would be raised to a Kingdom. Napoleon made a return in 1815, but was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, the brother of the Marquess Wellesley. Also in 1815, the British-American War of 1812 was brought to an end, with neither side victorious. During this period George took an active interest in matters of style and taste, and his associates such as the dandy Beau Brummell and the architect John Nash created the Regency style. In London Nash designed the Regency terraces of Regent's Park and Regent Street. George took up the new idea of the seaside spa and had the Brighton Pavilion developed as a fantastical seaside palace, adapted by Nash in the "Indian Gothic" style inspired loosely by the Taj Mahal, with extravagant "Indian" and "Chinese" interiors. Reign frame|left|Half-Crown of George IV, 1821. The inscription reads GEORGIUS IIII D G BRITANNIAR REX F D (George IV, by the Grace of God King of the Britons, Defender of the Faith). George IV was the last British King to be shown on coins wearing a Roman-style laurel wreath. When George III died in 1820, the Prince Regent ascended the throne as George IV, with no real change in his powers. By the time of his accession, he was obese and possibly addicted to laudanum. George IV's relationship with his wife Caroline had deteriorated by the time of his accession. They had lived separately since 1796, and both were having affairs. Caroline had later left the United Kingdom for Europe, but she chose to return for her husband's coronation, and to publicly assert her rights. However, George IV refused to recognize Caroline as Queen, commanding British ambassadors to ensure that monarchs in foreign courts did the same. By royal command, Caroline's name was omitted from the liturgy of the Church of England. The King sought a divorce, but his advisors suggested that any divorce proceedings might involve the publication of details relating to the King's own adulterous relationships. Therefore, he requested and ensured the introduction of the Pains and Penalties Bill 1820, under which Parliament could have imposed legal penalties without a trial in a court of law. The bill would have annulled the marriage and stripped Caroline of the title of Queen. The bill proved extremely unpopular with the public, and was withdrawn from Parliament. George IV decided, nonetheless, to exclude his wife from his coronation at Westminster Abbey, on 19 July 1821. Caroline died soon afterwards, on 7 August of the same year. 1821]] George's coronation was a magnificent and expensive affair, costing about £243,000. Despite the enormous cost, it was a popular event. Many across the nation bought souvenirs that bore copies of the coronation portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence. In 1821 the King became the first monarch to pay a state visit to Ireland since Richard II of England.De-la-Noy, p.95 The following year he visited Edinburgh for "one and twenty daft days." His visit to Scotland, organised by Sir Walter Scott, was the first by a reigning British monarch since Charles I went there in 1633.Parissien, p.318 George IV spent the majority of his reign in seclusion at Windsor Castle, but continued to interfere in politics. At first, it was believed that he would support Catholic Emancipation, as in 1797 he had proposed a Catholic Emancipation Bill for Ireland, but his anti-Catholic views became clear in 1813 when he privately canvassed against the ultimately defeated Catholic Relief Bill of 1813. By 1824 he was denouncing Catholic emancipation in public.Parissien, p.189 The influence of the Crown was so great, and the will of the Tories under Prime Minister Lord Liverpool so strong, that Catholic Emancipation seemed hopeless. In 1827, however, Lord Liverpool retired, to be replaced by the pro-Emancipation Tory George Canning. When Canning entered office, the King, who was hitherto content with privately instructing his ministers on the Catholic Question, thought it fit to make a more bold declaration. It was made known that "his sentiments … on the Catholic question, were those his revered father, George III, and lamented brother, the Duke of York, had maintained during their lives, and which he himself had professed when Prince of Wales, and which nothing could shake; finally, … that the recent ministerial arrangements were the result of circumstances, to His Majesty equally unforeseen and unpleasant." Canning's views on the Catholic Question were not well-received by the most conservative Tories, including the Duke of Wellington. As a result, the ministry was forced to include Whigs. Canning died later in that year, leaving Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich to lead the tenuous Tory-Whig coalition. Lord Goderich left office in 1828, to be succeeded by the Duke of Wellington, who had by that time accepted that the denial of some measure of relief to Roman Catholics was politically untenable.Parissien, p.190 With great difficulty, Wellington obtained the King's consent to the introduction of a Catholic Relief Bill on 29 January 1829. Under pressure from his fanatically anti-Catholic brother, the Duke of Cumberland, the King withdrew his approval and in protest the Cabinet resigned en masse on March 4. The next day the King, now under intense political pressure, reluctantly agreed to the Bill and the ministry remained in power. Relief was granted to Catholics in April. George IV's heavy drinking and indulgent lifestyle took its toll on his health by the late 1820s. His taste for huge banquets and copious amounts of alcohol meant that he put on weight and eventually he became obese. This made him the target of ridicule on the rare occasions that he did appear in public. Furthermore, he suffered from gout, arteriosclerosis, cataracts and possible porphyria; he would spend whole days in bed and suffered spasms of breathlessness that would leave him half-asphyxiated.. He died at about half-past three in the morning of 21 June 1830 at Windsor Castle; he called out "Good God, what is this?" clasped his page's hand and said, "my boy, this is death."De-la-Noy, p.103 He was buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor. His daughter, Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales, had died from post-partum complications in 1817, after delivering a still-born son; his eldest younger brother, Frederick, the Duke of York, had pre-deceased him in 1827. He was therefore succeeded by another of his brothers, Prince William, Duke of Clarence, who reigned as William IV. Titles, styles, honours & arms Titles *'1762': His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall *'1762-1820': His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales *'1811-1820': His Royal Highness The Prince Regent *'1820-1830': His Majesty The King (Under the Act of Parliament that instituted the Regency, the Prince´s formal title as Regent was Regent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and thus, during the Regency period his formal style was His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Regent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The simplified style His Royal Highness The Prince Regent, used more commonly even in official documents, was a shortened version of that formal style.) Styles George IV's official style as King of the United Kingdom was "George the Fourth, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith." He was also King of Hanover. Arms His arms were: Quarterly, I and IV Gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or (for England); II Or a lion rampant within a tressure flory-counter-flory Gules (for Scotland); III Azure a harp Or stringed Argent (for Ireland); overall an escutcheon tierced per pale and per chevron (for Hanover), I Gules two lions passant guardant Or (for Brunswick), II Or a semy of hearts Gules a lion rampant Azure (for Lüneburg), III Gules a horse courant Argent (for Westfalen), the whole inescutcheon surmounted by a crown. Legacy , illustrating "The Political House that Jack Built" by William Hone.]] On George's death The Times commented unfavourably: There never was an individual less regretted by his fellow creatures than this deceased king. What eye has wept for him? What heart has heaved one throb of unmercenary sorrow? ... If he ever had a friend - a devoted friend in any rank of life - we protest that the name of him or her never reached us.The Times (London) 29 June 1830 The Economist, on the other hand, commented favourably on George's dislike of the Corn Laws and pro-free-trade opinions. There are many statues of George IV, many erected during his reign. Some in the UK include a bronze statue of George IV on horseback by Sir Francis Chantry in Trafalgar Square, another of him on horseback at the end of the Long Walk in Windsor Great Park and another outside the Royal Pavillion in Brighton. In Edinburgh George IV Bridge is a main street linking the Old Town High Street to the south over the ravine of the Cowgate, designed by the architect Thomas Hamilton in 1829 and completed in 1835. King's Cross, now a major transport hub sitting on the border of Camden and Islington in north London, takes it's name from a monument erected to George IV in the early 1830s. From Roman times the area had been known as 'Battle Bridge'. Because of the monarch's unpopularity, the monument was torn down in 1845 but the new name has stuck to this day. In 1907, the Nuttall encyclopedia described him as the "First Gentleman of Europe" on account of "his fine style and manners." Certainly, George IV possessed many good qualities; he was probably the most intelligent Hanoverian monarch and it was once said he could've been the best comedic actor in Britain. But his laziness and gluttony squandered much of this. The London Times once wrote that he would always prefer "a girl and a bottle to politics and a sermon." Fashion The Regency period saw a shift in fashion that was largely determined by George. After political opponents put a tax on wig powder, he abandoned wearing a powdered wig in favor of natural hair.Parissien, p.112 He wore darker colors than had been previously fashionable as they helped to disguise his size, favored pantaloons and trousers over knee breeches, because they were looser, and popularised a high collar with neckcloth, because it hid his double chins.Parissien, p.114 His visit to Scotland in 1822 led to the revival, if not the creation, of Scottish tartan dress as it is known today.Parissien, p.324-6 George IV in culture *In the third instalment of the BBC comedy series Blackadder, George IV (as Prince Regent) was played as an unsympathetic buffoon by the English actor Hugh Laurie. Much of the humour of the characterisation was derived from the real Prince of Wales' spendthrift ways. An offhand remark by Blackadder for the Prince to "take out those plans for the beach house at Brighton," for instance, was a reference to the actual Oriental Pavillion at Brighton. At the conclusion of the series, Blackadder has taken advantage of mistaken identity to assume the identity of the Prince of Wales. *George IV (as Prince of Wales) was also played by Rupert Everett in the 1994 film The Madness of King George. *George IV appears as a character in Bernard Cornwell's novel "Sharpe's Regiment," which is set during the Regency period. He is portrayed as fat, extravangant, and possibly suffering from the same insanity which has afflicted his father. He is an enthusaistic fan of Richard Sharpe's military exploits, but claims to have been present at the Battle of Talavera and to have helped Sharpe capture a French standard. In the novel's historical note, Cornwell said he based the remark on a historical incident when George, during a dinner party at which Wellington was present, claimed to have led a charge at Waterloo.According to The private letters of Princess Lieven to Prince Metternich, 1820–1826 edited by Quennell (1937) the King merely pretended to have fought at Waterloo disguised as General Bock in order to annoy the Duke of Wellington. In the television version of the novel, he is played by Julian Fellowes. Notes and sources References * * * * Further reading * * * * * Category:Monarchs of the United Kingdom Category:House of Hanover Category:Dukes in the Peerage of England Category:Dukes in the Peerage of Scotland Category:Dukes of Cornwall Category:Dukes of Rothesay